LEXINGTON, S.C. — Four hundred bikers, 255 miles, in 3 days, all for the Ride to End Alzheimer's.
The annual ride in the South Carolina Midlands has hundreds of people pedaling toward a cure and hoping to pump the brakes on Alzheimer's. This is what keeps cyclists like Tate Brody riding.
"I ride for my mom who passed away with early onset Alzheimer's. She was diagnosed in 2005, I was 10, and she passed away when I was 20. Whenever it gets hard or dark, I look at the back of people's bibs and who they're riding for and that's just encouragement within itself," Brody said.
Now, Brody and others feel even more motivated after the Food and Drug Administration approved the early-stage Alzheimer's drug Leqembi.
Taylor Wilson said there are still miles to go in terms of research.
"We still haven't reached our end goal; we still haven't ended Alzheimer's or related dementias. We've gotten a treatment now, and we've gotten better testing," Wilson said. "We know there are prevention strategies, but we haven't really found a way to rid the world of Alzheimer's."
Although there is more work to be done, riders like Tao Brody said that with every mile comes more hope that scientists and doctors will find a cure.
"Every single year, we have more and more momentum from a sense of awareness, fundraising, science, and everything behind it; so, the more people we can get behind it, the better," Brody said.
The ride will continue through Sunday and wrap up with a celebration in Charleston. The South Carolina Alzheimer's Association asked drivers who spot cyclists to move into the other lane and give them extra space to ride for a cure.